The Telling Telly

THE TELLING TELLY

Joyce Peterson

"Are you sure, doctor?" Harriet couldn't keep the concern out of her voice. She was a handsome middle aged woman, who had not kept the slender figure of her youth, but had one she was proud of at her age. Her beautiful black hair had just a few grey rivulets running through it and her blue eyes complemented the smooth skin of her face. All in all, she was pleased with her looks and her life, if only there hadn't been this problem with Mama who had come to live with her. She, Mama and Mama's wheelchair just about filled Doctor Shapiro's consultation room. The opthamologist had just completed the examination on Mama.

"There's a very slight difference from the last time you brought her in. I think she sees fine for …" he hesitated.

"Go ahead. We all know what you mean. I'm doing fine for a woman my age." The old woman turned in her wheelchair and looked at her middle age daughter. "I told you, Harriet, it's the telly, not me. I know what I see or don't see. I just didn't see him." Turning back to the doctor, she said, "This is the third time I've been in here in the last six months. Will you please tell my daughter that when I don't see someone on the telly, it's because of the telly ,not my eyesight." Mama had been seeing a lot of the BBC programs on TV and liked the sound of the word "Telly".

Doctor smiled as he told Mama. "I could give you a prescription with the slight difference, if you would like."

The old woman pulled her jacket more tightly around her as she pronounced, "You'll do no such thing. I don't need new glasses. Maybe I need a new daughter who will believe me when I say don't see someone on the telly…the TV… if you'd rather."

Harriet knew she was fighting a lost cause. "Never mind, doctor. Even if I bought the new prescription, she'd probably refuse to wear them."

"You're damn right, Harriet. The ones I've got are fine. It's that bloody telly. I just didn't see him."

Harriet sighed. "I'm sorry, doctor. We won't bother you again until it's Mama's regular time to come in. It's just when she doesn't see someone in the picture on TV, someone whom I can see is actually there, then she tells me.."Harriet didn't want to continue.

"My daughter is afraid you'll think I'm nuts if she tells you that, when I don't see someone on the TV picture, that he ceases to exist soon after that. I won't tell her anymore. I'm tired of being hauled in here to have my eyes examined when there's nothing wrong with them." The old woman settled back in her wheelchair and drew a finger across her lips.

Harriet sighed again. "Fine, Mama. We won't come in for six months. OK?"

Mama grunted but refused to say anything to her daughter but turned her chair so she could talk to the doctor. "We'll see, just wait. Ned Williken will not be with us much longer." When she saw the questioning look on the doctor's face, she added, "He's just a minor actor but I've always liked him and yesterday, I didn't see him on the serial."

Harriet insisted on saying, "It probably wasn't his day to be on, Mama."

The old woman turned her head as far away from her daughter as she could. "Did you understand me, doctor?" she asked. "I was talking to you."

The doctor tried not to smile as he told her, "Yes, Mrs. Dunlop. I heard. Now, all we have to do is watch the obits for a few days."

"Damn right! We'll see. We'll ALL see! Even my pig headed daughter. Now she can take me home. " Mama tried to get her wheelchair started toward the door but Harriet took over as she sighed one more time.

The ride home was a quiet one, except for a few grunts from Mama.

When they got home, Charles greeted them at the door. Just seeing her husband standing in the open door with that big smile on his face gave Harriet's day the happiness boost it needed

"Where have you two been?" he questioned. " When I got home from work, all that greeted me was Mama's TV blasting away."

Mama didn't give Harriet a chance to reply. "Ask your wife, my pig headed daughter. She dragged me to that bloody opthamologist, again! She took me out of here so fast I didn't have time to turn off the telly."

Charles took over, pushing Mama's wheelchair to her bedroom.

Harriet couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice as she announced, "Her majesty, Queen Elizabeth speaketh, so it must be true. Except I warned her that I WOULD call the doctor if she tries to tell me that she saw..

Mama interrupted, "DID'NT see!!"

Harriet pretended that she hadn't heard Mama as she continued, "….no one on that TV of hers."

Mama picked up on the sarcasm, "ANYONE. Remember you are an English major!

Harriet was glad that Charlie had not only accepted the fact that Mama had to come to live with them, when Papa died and she could no longer care for herself, but Charles and Mama got along famously. He had been the one to see that she had as many comforts as they could afford. That darn TV had been one. Mama could watch it all day, if she wanted to and she usually did. They had got cable so Mama could watch the local broadcasts. The city had a station that broadcast all the council meetings. Mama had served on the board for many years so she watched all the meetings as they happened. Charles now served on the Council, so he and Mama always seemed to have much to talk about. Harriet was glad to see how much Charles cared for Mama but she was really not interested in city matters so she did not watch the broadcasts. To tell the truth, she wished she and Charles were as close as they had been before Mama moved in.

Mama calmed down for the next few days. Harriet was happy to see that everything had settled into their regular routine, until, one day, Mama called her away from cleaning up after dinner.

"Harriet, come in here." When Harriet came to stand behind the wheelchair to watch the beginning of the Council Meeting, Mama asked, "Who's that second man in the first row?"

Harriet bent toward the TV to take a closer look. "That's Mr. Bellingham. He lives up the street from us."

Mama gave one of her grunts.

Harriet tried to ignore the chill that ran down her spine. "Mama…Mama…why did you call me?

Mama grunted again. "I said I wouldn't tell you."

____________________________________________________________
Cheap Diet Help Tips. Click here.

The next day, as they were driving to work, she told him how she had been jealous of Mrs. Brown.

Fred pulled the car to the curb and stopped. "Dora, from the first day when you made me see about that job, then let me fix your vacuum in the kitchen, or maybe it was when you first touched me in such a gentle way." He cleared his throat before he went on. "I guess I can't say exactly when or why it happened but I knew that you were the only woman I would ever want in my life. I…I …" He stopped abruptly and pulled the car away from the curb.

Dora tried to say something noble and intelligent but all she could say was, "Me, too."

Fred thought, "I almost said 'I love you'. I think I do. But I better be sure before I say it."

Dora kept thinking of Fred's speech in the days that followed. She thought, "He didn't say he loved me. Maybe he will…later. Maybe he just needs time."

They did find it easier to talk about the job and Mrs. Brown's problem. Fred told Dora that Mrs. Brown was definite about picking up the medicine on their way to work that morning. She had given it to her husband so she knew he had it when he came into the office. He had to pick up some folders to take with him, before he left to make some business calls. He had come back at lunch time but when he hadn't come into the office, Marge had gone to the parking lot to see if his car were there. When she found him in the car, they had called the paramedics. They tried to revive him before taking him to a local emergency room but it was too late. That's when the search for the medicine had begun. The office and the car had been thoroughly searched.

Dora added that Marge had told her about the police looking for the medicine. Marge believed Mrs. Brown but she thought the police sounded like they thought that Mrs. Brown might have withheld the medicine, on purpose.

As they talked, Fred and Dora found themselves lining up on Mrs. Brown's side. They did have some doubt when the insurance man began calling steadily to take her to lunch. But they had known each other in High School and had met again when Mr. Brown had bought that big policy. He hadn't had a heart problem then. They decided that, probably, the heart problem was the reason he started to gamble. Most of us have thought about something we want to do before we die. Maybe gambling had been one of those things that Mr. Brown wanted to do. Maybe he had had a premonition about dying. Dora had to admit to herself that she had come up with most of the 'maybes' and 'probablies'. She had always wanted answers to things even if she had to think them up.

Fred laughed, "I think we had better give the problem time to work out."

The reunion was just a couple of weeks away. Dora decided to get a new outfit to wear. She went to a local boutique and put herself in the hands of the owner. The lady understood about reunions and meeting people you haven't seen for 25 years. The dress they decided on was a beautiful brown model that helped Dora look more slender. It brought out the brown of her eyes and the brown in her hair. Of course, Dora had to have the other accoutrements that completed such a dress. When Dora counted it all up, she figured she would be working all next month to pay for it.

The days seemed to drag but the Friday before Reunion Day finally arrived. When Fred dropped Dora off that night he kissed her good night. He thought he had become a pretty good kisser after Dora's lesson. Dora thought so, too. "I'll pick you up at four-thirty tomorrow. We're supposed to be there at five for cocktails. Oh, Dora, in case you didn't know, my landlady told me that when you go to those big hotels, like the one where we'll be going, you should have some change to drop in the attendant's dish when you leave the restroom. I guess if you wanted to leave a dollar it would be all right."

Dora was confounded, "You have to pay to go to the restroom?" she asked "I certainly won't leave a dollar but, if I have to, I could take some change."

"It's only one night in 25 years," Fred told her before he kissed her again and enjoyed it as much as he did before.

Dora spent the next next morning having her hair done and the rest of day cleaning and dusting to pass the time before she started to dress.

When she finally got dressed and had put on makeup for one of the few times in her life, she looked at her image in the mirror and liked what she saw. "Eat your heart out, Mrs Brown," she told her likeness.

Fred rang the doorbell at 4:30 exactly. When Dora opened the door, he could hardly believe that this Dora was the same one he had kissed last night. "You look great," he told her.

Dora thanked him. "You're very handsome tonight, Fred." He was wearing the blue suit in which Mr. Brown had died. Dora was sure that the suit looked much better on Fred than it had on Mr. Brown. She took Fred's arm. "Let's go to that Reunion and Wow the old gang."

As they signed at the check-in table, the lady in charge looked up at them when they told her their names. "Dora Dinkledorf and Fred Sommers," she said as she handed them their name tags. "I didn't remember that you two went together in High School."

"We didn't," Dora told her.

"But we do now," Fred said, proudly.

The evening was a complete success as far as Dora and Fred were concerned. Most people remembered them after seeing the name tags and congratulated them on being a 'couple' after so many years. There was only one couple that they tried to avoid. Daniel Stethman had brought Mrs. Brown as a guest.

Dinner was very good since everyone had been given their choice of entrees. The raspberry and ice cream dessert ended a perfect meal. When the orchestra began to play some songs from the class era, many couples filled the dance floor. Dora patted Fred on the shoulder and nodded at the dance floor.

"I don't dance very well but…." Fred started.

Dora interrupted, "I don't either but I just wanted you too look at Mrs. Brown and Daniel. She looks happier than I have ever seen her."

Fred agreed. "They both look the way I feel when I look at you. I do know how to waltz if they play the kind of music we can waltz to. My aunt taught me how when she thought I might get a date for the High School Dances. I did dance a lot by myself."

Dora laughed. "That's the only dance I can do, too. My Dad taught me when I wanted to learn. I danced a lot by myself, too. I'm willing to try if you are."

When the orchestra finally played a song that they thought they could dance to, they found most of the other couples had left the floor. Fred took Dora in his arms and moved around the dance floor with such grace that a few couples applauded as they danced by. When the orchestra started to play the kind of music most of the couples preferred, Fred gave Dora an extra hug as he escorted her back to their table.

When Fred excused himself to go to the restroom, Dora waited at the table for him. Many people were still going around reading name tags so Dora was not too surprised when someone standing beside her called her name. When she looked up, she couldn't help getting to her feet as she stammered, "Mrs. Brown?" She knew they were here but she didn't expect Mrs. Brown and Daniel Stethman to acknowledge her at the Reunion.

Mrs. Brown pulled a seat up. Sitting down facing Dora, she requested, "Would you please call me Susan from now on. By the way, I think you know Dan Stethman. He was in your class. He asked me to come tonight. I know it's too soon after Arthur's death but Dan thought a night out would be good for me. It has been fun."

Dora was so confused that all she could think to say was, "I'm sure your husband would want you to live even if he is dead." To ease her embarrassment she held out her hand to Daniel. "It's good to see you again, Dan," she told him.

He smiled at her. "You, too, Dora. You and Fred do a mean waltz."

Dora laughed. "It's the only dance we know. We'll have to brush up on some others before the next Reunion."

Dan looked at her as he said, "You look lovely tonight."

Dora wanted to say something about looking better than she did when they were cleaning their offices but the night had been too good to spoil it with sarcasm so she just thanked him.

Susan took Dora's hand from Dan but she waited a few moments before she asked, "Is that one of Arthur's suits that Fred is wearing?"

Dora gasped, "Please, Mrs…Susan. Don't say anything. Marge told me it was the suit he was wearing when…."

"Of course I won't. It's just that he did remind me so much of Arthur when we first saw you tonight. I thought Arthur had come back. I should have had the suit cleaned before I gave it to Fred but it had just come back from the cleaners and my head was not in the right place at the time." Susan apologized.

Dora murmured, "Just don't tell…." Fred had walked up to stand behind her.

"Don't tell what?" he asked.

Susan rushed to explain, "We decided not to tell Katy that the salad was not very good. She's the one that planned the dinner for the group. Everything but the salad was excellent."

Fred told her, "You're right, Mrs. Brown, that dinner was great. I didn't see anything wrong with the salad."

Susan held her hand up, "Dora and I decided that I will be just plain Susan from now on. And I think you know Daniel Stethman." The men shook hands.

Fred said, "Hi, Dan." To everyone he explained. "I need some change for the kitty in the rest room. I put some in my pocket but there must be a whole in it."

Everyone pulled out change and offered it to him. He took Dora's and thanked them all as he left.

Dora and Susan looked at each other and said, in unison, "A hole in his pocket!" Dora added, "Don't say anything now. It would spoil a great evening. I'll get him to give the coat to me to mend. If I find anything, I'll tell Fred the truth and I'll call you tomorrow…."

Susan had been busy pulling a card from her purse, "Not tomorrow, Dora, if you find that bottle, call me tonight, no matter how late it is."

Dora agreed. Everyone tried to enjoy the rest of the Reunion get together dinner, but of the three, Fred was the only one that had nothing else on his mind.

Dan Stethman had looked at Susan and whispered, "Let's hope."

She had squeezed his hand and answered, "Let's do."

Dora could feel the love that flowed between them. Susan Brown was a different woman tonight. Dora's mother would have said that they cast 'moon eyes' at each other. Dora found that she and Fred were doing the 'moon eyes' bit, too.

As they were all leaving the hotel, Susan mouthed to Dora, "Call me." Dora nodded.

When they got home, Dora told Fred to give him her coat so she could fix the split in the pocket seam.

"I'll bring it over tomorrow. I won't be wearing it again very soon," he told her. "It's too late to fix it tonight."

She tried to get the coat without telling him that Mr. Brown had been wearing it when he died, but he refused. Finally she almost shouted, "I have to do it tonight. That's the coat that Mr. Brown had on when he died. His medicine might have fallen through the same hole that your change fell through."

Fred looked at her as he pulled the coat off. "Why didn't you say so."

"I thought you might not wear the suit if you knew. I figured you would look good in it. And you did!" Dora apologized.

"It's my favorite of all the clothes she gave me, so be careful with that pocket. Arthur isn't going to mind if I wear it." Fred was laughing at her as she started to feel around the hem of the coat. "Feel anything?"

Dora shook her head, "This material is really heavy." As she shook the coat, she heard a jingling sound. "I think I found your money but…"She felt a section with each hand. "Wait a minute, I do think something is there." She started toward another room. "I better get my sewing box.'

When she came back, she had a box in her hand. Taking out a small implement she start ripping out the bottom seam of the jacket.

First a number of coins fell out. Then with a little urging from Dora, a small prescription bottle fell out.

"See," said Fred, "She told the truth. She did give him the medicine. He must have been in a lot of pain when he tried to get to it and he pushed the bottle through that slit."

Dora gave a big sigh. " I'll call Susan." She found the card Susan had given her at the Reunion. The phone was answered on the first ring.

"Please, please, tell me you found it." Susan was so excited she had a hard time getting the words out.

The excitement was echoed in Dora's answer, "We found it! We found it, right where…""

Susan didn't wait for any more. "I'll call the police and have them meet us at your…by the way, you better give me your address."

When Dora had given her address, Susan thanked her and Fred many more times before she hung up.

Dora looked at Fred as she said, "She said thanks about a hundred times." They both laughed before Dora continued, "I'm sure when we give it to the police and tell them where we found it, she will be cleared. Maybe she and Dan will be able to marry, eventually. When I saw them together tonight, I was hoping so."

"Good for them." Fred said, "But how about us? Maybe we could make it a double wedding."

"No, not us." Dora told him. When she saw the sad expression on his face, she added, " With all the money they get from that insurance policy, they will probably have a big wedding after they wait a while because of her husband's death. I think we should have a small wedding and do it right away."

The rest of the week settled into a routine for Fred and Dora. They got their advance and both sent in the reservation for the Reunion Dinner. Fred tried to pay Dora for all the little things she had done for him but she told him that she would have to give it all back to him for fixing her vacuum and giving her a ride to work. The cleaning job was really routine after the first couple of days. Dora insisted on bringing a lunch for both of them since Ben told them they were allowed a half hour break for it. She told Fred it would be a free lunch for driving her every day. He finally agreed and tore up the little list he had carried in his pocket.

Dora had always been a routine person. She liked the comfort of knowing what would come next in her life. Life was good.

Fred was happy, too. On the third night, he got up the nerve to kiss Dora before she went into the house. It wasn't too personal, just a quick smack, but it was a beginning.

However, the following week took things out of the routine when Mrs. Brown called to ask if Fred could come in early, every day for a while. She had some things she wanted him to do. When he told her that Dora would have to come, too, she reluctantly agreed. She asked Marge if she could use Dora for an hour. Marge was enthusiastic. "Could I ever! The files really need cleaning out, I could maybe show her a little about the computer, and there are…"

Mrs. Brown raised her hand, "Never mind, just tell her, not me." She frowned at the secretary as she turned back to the phone. "OK, Fred, both of you, although I hadn't planned…"

"Fine. I'll let Dora know," Fred told her before she could go on. "We'll see you at 4 o'clock."

When Fred called Dora, she saw their nice routine flying out the window. "Are you sure she wanted both of us?" She asked. She had thought that Mrs. Brown was a woman who always felt better if there were a man around.

The next day when they got to the office, there was a man in Mrs. Brown's office. Marge put a finger to her lips. "A police inspector," she whispered as she motioned them to some chairs against the wall.

They were seated only a few minutes before the man came out of the office. As he was leaving, he said over his shoulder, "Let me know if there is any news on that prescription bottle."

When he was gone, Mrs. Brown motioned Fred to come into her office. "Marge, you can find something for Dora to do," she told the secretary.

Dora felt the hair on her neck stand up. She suddenly realized that she didn't want Fred and that woman alone in her office. Then, she put the proper name on it, she was jealous. A few juvenile kisses and she thought she had to right to…the right to what? For Dora, things had seldom got even this far before, with any man or boy. Of course, there was that time in High School with Timmy Whatsisname. He was about a half-head shorter than she so, at the end of a boring date he had had to pull her head down to kiss her. It was the best kiss she had ever had. She was surprised when Timmy didn't call her for another date until she heard some of his friends start to call her 'too tall Dora'. Thinking of that kiss, she knew she had no right to be jealous of Fred's discussion with their boss. Fred had never got beyond the quick smack stage. But the feeling wouldn't go away

Marge must have seen her looking after Mrs. Brown and Fred. "She has to find that prescription bottle. She wants the car, the parking lot and everything else she can think of searched again. Since Fred was a sort of friend from school she thought he would do a good job of it without asking too may questions."

Dora saw that Mrs. Brown was smiling at Fred all the time she was motioning in all directions. Fred kept nodding.

"Why don't I start you working on the files," Marge suggested.

Dora turned away from the private office window. "Why not? What do you want me to do?" She hoped her face didn't show her feelings for what might be going on behind the window in that private office.

Marge came close and patted Dora's arm. "I just need last year's files weeded out and put into other folders so they can go into another file. And, Dora…" her voice got softer, "don't worry. She is really a nice person. These are tough times for her. Her husband gambled away a lot of their money and she really needs to collect on that insurance policy. They argued about it a lot. I'm sure she flirts with other men because she needs to know she's still, you know…got it."

Dora sneaked a look at the woman in that office. She was dressed in the latest style and her figure added to their custom fit. Her blond hair had recently been cut in the newest fashion. Dora admitted, "She's beautiful. She could have anyone she wants."

Marge nodded, "She probably could but I think the one she really likes is the insurance man."

Dora was somewhat placated but she still wished Fred didn't look so interested as he talked to her.

In a few minutes, Mrs. Brown followed Fred to the door of the office as he started to leave. She handed him some keys. "I know it may be a fruitless search, but, please, take that car apart if you have to. I have to find that prescription bottle. Even if they don't arrest me for murder, people will always believe I killed my husband."

"I don't think anyone could believe that," Fred told her.

Dora looked up as Mrs. Brown put her hand on Fred's shoulder. "Thank you, Fred. I knew you would understand." Dora felt like a fire had erupted in her gut.

Fred spent the afternoon in the big car in the parking lot while Dora tried to concentrate on file dates in the office. Marge must have known that Dora had a problem. She walked over and picked up a few of the new folders and looked through them. "Good work, Dora. I think she wants you both back for another couple of days. I think you'll have all those files up to date by then."

Dora couldn't resist saying, "It's Fred she wants. I'm excess baggage. I'd stay home but I can use the extra money."

Marge smiled as she looked at Mrs. Brown. "I understand," she said.

The next three days went faster than Dora and Fred expected. Both were happy when they got their paychecks and saw the extra money.

Dora found it hard to talk to Fred any more. She didn't want to show her jealousy. In fact, she didn't want to admit it to herself but it was there. She still let Fred kiss her good night each time they got back from work, but she left in a hurry and went in the house and closed the door.

A week after they had got their paychecks, before Fred went through the kissing ceremony, he took her hand. "Is something wrong, Dora?"

She pulled her hand away, "Why do you think there is something wrong?" she asked.

Fred looked at the ground as he answered. "You've been so quiet. I hope you haven't changed your mind about going with me to the reunion. I've really been looking forward to it."

He sounded so miserable that Dora's jealousy faded into oblivion. She took his face in her hands and gave him a lesson in the real art of kissing, the Timmy kind. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," she told him. "See you tomorrow," she smiled back at him from the doorway before she closed it.

____________________________________________________________
Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here!